Police have identified the person accused of terrorising women in a Chucky mask as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, with a warrant now issued for his arrest. According to police in the US city of Philadelphia, Hughes is alleged to be the man behind the mask, with one victim left severely injured.
Suspect May Have Fled After Transport Police Encounter
Officials have already placed a nationwide callout for people to be on guard, as police suspect Hughes may have packed his bags and fled the city after an altercation with transport police earlier this week. As per Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority officials, Hughes was approached by transport police but was able to give them the slip. It is understood he was in the Chucky mask at the time.
The 22-year-old is already on probation for a crime in a nearby county and, when arrested, will face fresh felony and misdemeanour charges including assault, harassment, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and intimidation, officials have said. He has a tendency to travel back and forth to the West Coast, police added, and has ties to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Victims Terrorised in Chilling Encounters
The warrant issued for Hughes' arrest is the latest update in a terrifying week for women in the US city of Philadelphia, with video footage surfacing of a man in a Chucky mask - now believed to be Hughes - who had been chasing women throughout the streets of the inner city. Only one victim has fully come forward and is cooperating with police, but CCTV footage indicates that Hughes may have terrorised up to 15 or 16 people in total.
He was allegedly heard telling one woman in a chilling interaction: “Are you ready to die?” Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said: “He’s holding his cell phone up in front of her, at which time he asks her: 'Are you ready to die?' [She] appears startled, at which time the male asks her again, ‘Are you ready to die?’ Clearly she’s not ready to die, so she takes off.” The police chief added that the man did manage to injure the jogging woman while he was running away. She was seen by witnesses “screaming for help”.
Witnesses Describe Encounters and Police Hunt Continues
Jameka, a witness who saw the incident unfold, spoke about the frightening series of events. She said she saw the man prowling behind the woman and attempted to warn her. Speaking to WPVI Jameka said: “I started to wave at her from across the intersection and say, ‘Hey there’s someone behind you, look behind you.” She added that the man attempted to force himself inside a coffee shop before he turned his attention to Jameka. Jameka stated she fought off the attacker, kicking him in the chest while she was screaming. However, she added that something seemed off about the man. She said: “He just seemed so disoriented about what his goals actually were. I had bags; he wasn’t reaching for those. It didn’t seem like he had a clear goal to do anything so I was like, let’s see if you can fight, and he couldn’t.”
Cafe employee Kate Egan, who watched the man terrorise a member of staff she works with, has stated: “It’s really unsettling just trying to get to work and have a kid like this actively terrorising women. I really hope he is caught.” CCTV footage has captured the suspect walking around a Dunkin Donuts chain brandishing the “distinctive, Chucky doll Halloween-style face mask”. Police Captain Jason Smith has stated the man was refused service due to acting erratically. Smith added: “Trust me when I tell you this… we’re going to do our darnedest to try and locate this individual.”
